Dr. Taylor is the chief executive of a $140M/yr enterprise with about 850 employees, including 230 Ph.D.s, 440 staff and 180 graduate assistants. SOEST is an international leader in such diverse fields as Alternative Energy, Tropical Meteorology, Coral Reef Ecosystems, Volcanology, Microbial Oceanography, Seafloor Processes, Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, Cosmochemistry, Coastal Processes and Climate Modeling – and that is just the top ten.

With a B.Sc.Hons.(1st) from the University of Sydney and a PhD from Columbia University in marine geology and geophysics, Brian’s background is in plate tectonics and seafloor volcanism, deformation, sedimentation and surveying. A former Fulbright Fellow and JOI Distinguished Lecturer, he is the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program – Management International, and Principal Investigator and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System.